Research focus

The major research goal in our laboratory is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development and evolution of the cerebral cortex, from stem cells to neuronal circuits, from mouse to man, in health and disease.

The cerebral cortex is one of the most complex and important structures in our brain. In correlation with its elaborate functions, it is made of dozens of distinct types of neurons that display specific patterns of gene expression and synaptic connectivity. Moreover the cortex underwent a major increase in size and complexity during recent primate and human evolution, mostly related to increased neuronal number and connectivity.

How does cortical complexity emerge during human development, from early steps of neurogenesis to late steps of neuronal circuit formation? And how did this complexity increase during evolution? What is specific to human brain development and how does it relate to uniquely human brain diseases such as autism or neurodegeneration?

We try to address these fascinating questions using an integrated approach that combines in vitro and in vivo tools of developmental biology, neurobiology, and pluripotent (ESC/iPSC) stem cell technology.

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News

25/07/2019 - Researchers led by Pierre Vanderhaeghen and Jérôme Bonnefont (VIB-KU Leuven and ULB) have unraveled a new mechanism controlling the switch between growth and differentiation of neural stem cells during brain development.

31/05/2018 - The human brain is a remarkable organ, but how did it evolve to give us such unprecedented cognitive abilities? The research team of Pierre Vanderhaeghen (ULB, VIB-KU Leuven) turned to the genome for answers.